Over the years, there have been a number of technological developments in the field of irrigation. Irrigation is the method in which controlled amount of water is supplied to plants at regular intervals for agriculture. Although all irrigation systems provide water to plants, the methods for doing so vary widely.
Localized irrigation is a system where water is distributed under low pressure through a piped network, in a pre-determined pattern, and applied as a small discharge to each plant or adjacent to it. Drip irrigation, spray or micro-sprinkler irrigation and bubbler irrigation belong to this category of irrigation methods.
In addition, localized irrigation considered a type of low-pressure irrigation typically operating with pressures between 15 and 30 psi. It generally considered low volume with application rates of 5 to 70 gallon per hour. Low volume or micro irrigation is ideal for virtually all landscaping applications. It used throughout the world and is suitable for both small residences and large commercial projects. Some typical applications are as follows: Trees and Shrubs Ground Cover Patio & Container Plants Vegetable Gardens Flower Beds Medians & Pathways Island Planters Indoors Hanging Baskets Hedges.
Drip irrigation emitters generally known for use in delivering irrigation water to a precise point at a predetermined and relatively low volume flow rate. Such irrigation devices typically comprise an emitter housing connected to a water supply hose through which irrigation water supplied under pressure.
A reoccurring problem with present-day drip irrigation system has been prolonged exposure to overwatered conditions that can cause some of the roots to die back due to a lack of oxygen. As they die, they decay and rot away. The rot can spread to healthier roots killing them too, even if the soil conditions corrected.
In addition, the drip emitter may restrict root development. Early and outmoded designs for drip systems called for only one or two emitters per plant. This led to very restricted root growth around the few points of moisture and thus to stunted plant growth. One major goal of this invention is to cover the entire area of natural root growth. With the proper placement of emitter, root growth will be uniform, expansive, and healthy.
There are a number of drip irrigation systems that can be buried in the soil, but if your garden has gophers, you will just be offering them an easier way to drink. Occasionally, even mice and wood rats will hear the running water in the drip hose, especially in dry summer climates. The present invention is high enough off the ground making it harder for rodent to get access to the emitter.
Drip emitters do not cleanse the foliage. In arid climates, some plants, such as lettuce and other leafy greens, prefer periodic sprinkling of leaves to wash off accumulated dust, grit, and/or air pollution. These plants need to receive an occasional sprinkling like the kind of stream from the present invention.
An additional problem with drip emitter is it does not create humidity. Many plants, most notably humidity loving perennials from England, the muggy Tropics, and northern Europe, like a moist atmosphere. When these plants are grown outside their natural environment, the present invention is perhaps the better irrigation devices.
Finally, you cannot see the drip system working. With a drip system, the emitters quietly go about their work hidden from view. For some gardeners, this is the beauty of the system. For others, not being able to watch the watering is slightly unsettling. In a poorly designed system, a clogged emitter goes unnoticed until drought stress affects the plant visibly. This is a serious problem poor quality drip emitters and with the present invention, visibility will not be a problem.
Mist irrigation has often been used as an alternative to drip irrigation. A mist emitter has a head that throws out water into the air as a fine mist. Some advantages of mist irrigation over drip irrigation are that a large relatively wet area can be attained from a single mist head, especially when the mist head is quite far off the ground, and that a visual indication of whether the emitter is working is provided.
The problem with mist emitters is that different plants require different precipitation rates. The primary way of varying the precipitation rate is to change the diameter of the pinhole. To do this, a relatively large variety of different mist heads, having different diameter holes, must be stocked. Moreover, because the pinhole is quite tiny, it tends to clog up. Thus, a filtered water supply is required in most mist irrigation systems.
The present invention overcomes the above, briefly described problem by providing a highly efficient and serviceable micro stream emitter that is a truly remarkable innovation with a low precipitation rate, highly uniform distribution, and increased radius range, all in a emitter which providing a flat stream and simultaneously down stream spray.
Another advantage to using the present invention is, simply, control. This method of irrigation is precise and economical. For instance, changes in supply pressure affect discharge rate and uniformity of water distribution if all emitters are identical. This invention has value to the irrigation designer in that it allows the designer to select emitter characteristics depending on the position of the emitter in the field therefore it is desirable to vary the emitter discharge to compensate for changes in topography.
Micro stream emitters are an excellent water-saving alternative to regular spray nozzles, bubblers or even drip irrigation. With built-in pressure compensation and a variety of flow rates, micro stream emitter come in the variety you need to meet your plants' individual watering needs.